In a Heartbeat
by eurekawriter
Summary: Justin left for college and Alex has been dying to reveal her true feelings to him. He returns and she must relieve herself from insanity. But what happens when Justin reacts badly? And how does a stranger have the potential to change his mind? Three shot
1. Insanity

**Here's the first part of the three shot. I hope everyone likes it. :D**

Alex was now just one step away from insanity. She had always been on the path to insanity, but she never thought she'd get _this close. _

Alex knew that her relationship with her older brother was complicated- it was one of those- love, hate (mostly hate) relationships. Ever since she was little, she found out ways to annoy her brother and make him "squeal." She loved drawing all over his dorky books and commenting on his "dolls." It _satisfied _her. Her parents didn't really think much of their behavior around each other. They thought that their kids were jealous of each other and would most likely grow out of this childish stage.

They were wrong.

You see, they never bought parenting guides until Max was a toddler. By then, Alex grew up, and so did Justin. Of course she still commented on his "dolls", but their relationship fell even further down the drain. They fought _constantly, _yet it still _satisfied _her. She loved making fun of his nerdy ways, mostly because she hated being compared to him. She felt like she was never good enough, even if she knew that her parents loved all of them equally. Naturally, her parents scolded her whenever she teased her older brother, but they didn't do more than "ground" her. They thought their parenting books were really helping them.

They were wrong. Again.

Their parents never knew what was in store for them next. _Magic. _Ah yes, magic. Justin found out about his powers, then Alex, and soon Max did too. They began their usual magic lessons every day after school and were amazed by the wizard world. Everything went alright at first- fooling around with spells and experiencing fun hands-on experiences connected with magic. But as you would expect, these fun and games became more- they became a _competition. _The day their dad told them of the family wizard competition, Alex swore things got serious- _really serious. _Justin became even a bigger nerd, always studying extra hard so he could surpass his siblings and beat them in the wizard competition. As Justin's dorkier ways increased, Alex slacked off more. She began _hating _her brother for giving her such a hard shadow to live in.

That's when she realized she was dropped off to insanity lane.

Months passed and Alex fulfilled all her needs by doing everything she could to irritate her older brother. But it wasn't just silly pranks anymore- Alex found out how powerful words could be. Instead of just putting salt (in place of sugar) in his tea, she demeaned him and ridiculed him every chance she got. It got to the point that her parents finally gave up on parenting. They finally accepted that their two eldest children would always want to slice each other's throats and that their youngest could care less. It was normal for them to hear yelling and seeing Max eating an old sandwich he found in his laundry hamper.

But guess what came with growing up? _Maturity. _

Although Alex hated that eight letter word, she knew Justin was becoming more mature about things. He knew his sister would always treat him this way- there was nothing much he could do about it now. All he could do was set a good example for her. Due to her rebellious demeanor, Alex often got into trouble- most of the time it had to do with magic. However, Justin was always there to pick up after her mistakes. He fixed every single one of Alex's mistakes. At first, Alex used this to her advantage, but then things got "weird." One time, Justin said that it made him an _even better _wizard by helping out his little sister. Over time, Alex began having more respect for her older brother, but still maintained her cold behavior towards him. She liked having Justin as her older brother. He was a good _brother. _He was such a good brother that she wanted him around _always- _she even made a duplicate of him and sent him off to college so that he would never leave her.

But what happened to make Alex realize he was more than just her _brother? _

Family vacation- that is what happened. Never in her life did Alex feel frightened and completely loss for words. But who was there to help her? Justin. However, this time was different. Justin didn't just fix the problem, he indirectly affected Alex more than he could ever imagine. She never realized that Justin thought so much of them as a "team"- she never knew he _cared. _The moment he disappeared out of her life briefly, she couldn't even begin to describe how she felt. Something was missing, and that something was a heck of an important part of her life. For the very first time in her life, she _valued _her brother.

The family vacation came and went, but things really changed. Alex couldn't help but feel the need to always be with her brother. She felt safe and comfortable with him. His dorkish comments made her so happy that all she wanted to do was smile. Every time their shoulders brushed or he pulled her aside to scold her, her insides tingled and melted into sheer bliss. She was sure this was so unhealthy and sickening, but how could something be so wrong, yet so right? She hated herself for even having these feelings, but she loved it even more.

Alex had now reached the halfway point to insanity.

She remained at this halfway point for quite awhile- until Justin's graduation day. That's when things began to fall apart for her- that's when she almost _slipped…_

"_Hey! Stop it!...Ugh…do you want this lollipop or not?"_

"_Yes." _

"_Then sit down!" _

"_Okay."_

Alex remembered how much she loved having control of "little" Justin. It felt good to be the oldest for once, but she knew it couldn't last forever.

"_Retrievum Cerebrum!" _

Thanks goodness Alex knew that spell.

"_Lollipop? I only allow myself one of these on Halloween. This is NOT Halloween!"_

"_Welcome back…"_

Yup, he was definitely back- what a nerd. But Alex loved this nerd dearly.

"_Justin, I'm so sorry. I should have never created that duplicate in the first place. I guess I was just scared that I wouldn't have anybody to fight with when you went off to college."_

Alex truly saved herself that time. In her head, she was thinking, "I was scared of you leaving me- leaving me without you knowing how I truly feel about you." Her heart began to beat faster. Did Justin buy that?

"_We've had a lot of pretty good fights, huh? I think we still got a few good ones left in us. What do you think?" _

Of course, being Justin, he couldn't tell that Alex was bluffing. Alex was relieved, but still unsatisfied.

"_I hope so." _

I hope so? Alex mentally hit herself- what kind of comeback was that? It was more like "I love you", not "I hope so." Grr.

"_You guys are hilarious…just say you love each other!" _

Alex hated when their parents ruined these moments between them.

"_No we DON'T!"_

Alex was _not _prepared for that. It seemed like they shared the mutual hate between each other, but in reality, Justin immediately responded with a harsh "No"…Alex followed instantly when she heard him say that. It sounded like they said it at the same time though- no one would suspect a thing. Alex remembered this moment like it just happened. She remember how close they were sitting before...then she _noticed how Justin scooted to the other side of the couch-whereas she moved, eh, maybe an inch? _Alex was officially heart-broken. Her brother _really _didn't love her- the way she loved him. But what could she do? The moment had to continue….

"_Sorry I interfered with your college plans."_

Once again, nice save, Alex.

"_It's all good. When I had the college brain in my head, I realized I knew all that stuff anyway. Now it's time to get on with the real learning. Medical School, here I come!" _

And that was that.

Alex never got the chance to tell Justin how she felt and soon, he was gone. That moment had been killing her for over the past year. Justin ended up leaving for Medical School and she just thanked her lucky stars for making her a good liar. Although she couldn't make her feelings go away, she could suppress them enough so that her family couldn't tell there was anything wrong with her. Alex sat in her room, thinking about all these different situations and how it all lead up to her reaching the one step before insanity. She loved her brother and no one could change how she felt. She knew some day and somehow, she would have to confess. But she would have lots of time to come up with something- Justin wasn't coming back until the next summer. He wouldn't be coming back this year because he had to finish up some "sophomore" things at his school.

Knocking was heard downstairs in the substation and Jerry yelled, "We're not open!"

The knocking continued, "I said _we're not open!_"

Soon, the knocking turned into banging- even Alex could hear it from her room. She heard her mother yell, "Jerry! Just open the door!"

"No, Teresa! We're closed!" Jerry fought back.

Meanwhile, Max lazily walked up to the door and casually opened it. His expression grew with shock as he stuttered quietly, "Ju…Justin?"

"Surprise."

Both Teresa and Jerry's heads shot towards the opening to their sandwich shop. Teresa yelled, "Mijo! You're home!"

Alex sat up straight in her room. Hold up…_who's home? _She listened carefully.

"I can't believe you're here! You weren't supposed to come back for almost another year." Jerry commented in disbelief.

Max's mouth was still hanging wide open. He stuttered again, "Ju…Justin? Is it really you?"

Whoa. Alex could've sworn she heard _his _name, but she wasn't sure, so she ran downstairs. She stopped halfway on the stairs as she made eye-to-eye contact with the person that had been on her mind for years now.

He was still the same- exactly the way she remembered him. He was wearing one of his plaid shirts with a nice pair of jeans that shaped his fully body nicely. His hair was attempted to be combed nicely, but still ruffled to give him that rough look. His complexion was the same and his sharp, green eyes stared straight through her.

He smiled, "Hi, Alex."

Endless thoughts raced through Alex's mind. He was here…_now. _She thought she would've had at least a couple more months to deal with herself, but he was _here- _standing right in front of her. Alex knew her head was spinning with fearful thoughts, but she was one hundred percent sure on one thing.

_Insanity._ Yup, Alex Russo finally reached insanity.

**So, what did you guys think? I think this story has a very emotional feel to it, but I hope you enjoyed my writing! Please leave your comments in a review! I appreciate it greatly! **


	2. Denial

**Thanks for the good response for this three-shot! Hope you enjoy the second chapter!**

Alex felt her body go numb as she stood face to face with the person she loved the most. Part of her wanted to run straight up to him, and yet, another part of her wanted to scream at him for coming home. She was supposed to have _months _before he returned to think up of some plan to share her feelings with him. This was too soon and she trembled with fear as she thought what would happen next. Well, it looked like it was time to improvise.

Shoot. There wasn't even time to improvise- he was walking. Towards _her. _

Justin opened his arms, "Alex…" He engulfed her in a bone-crushing, brotherly hug.

Alex tensed up at first, but she soon relaxed and wrapper her arms around his waist. She buried her head in his shoulder, taking up every inch of his wonderful scent that she missed so much. She muttered, "Justin, you're home."

To her dismay, Justin let go and nodded, "Yeah. Are you…happy?"

Alex shrugged and put on her usual attitude, "Are you kidding me? The dork is back- time for some fun!"

Justin sighed, "That's what I thought…hmm…I hate to admit it, but I miss you guys torturing me. I've missed you."

_He missed her? _ Alex stuttered, "Hah…uhh…yeah…missed you too, dork."

Teresa exclaimed, "I can't believe you're home, Justin! You weren't supposed to come back until next summer!"

"I know, but I was lucky and got a week off."

Alex interrupted suddenly, "Just a week? Uhh…I mean…can't you go home sooner?"

Justin raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Are you sad I have to leave so soon, Alex?"

Alex glared, "No."

Jerry ignored them and continued, "I'm glad you're home, son. It'll be nice to spend some time with you this week."

"Yeah, I just want to keep it cool for now. I just want to stay home with you guys. Hey, Alex, I was thinking….wait, where'd she go?" Justin turned around to realize his little sister had left. "Oh…I'll tell her later."

Alex had gone back upstairs to her room- she needed to "strategize." How in the world was she supposed to live with Justin for the next week? They were going to be home…_alone. _For the most part, her parents would be busy running the substation and Max would be at school. Too bad she wasn't at school too- she had decided to take a year off, just to cool down. She would start college next year. But that didn't really matter now; all she could think about was Justin. She needed to tell Justin how she felt, but she was so scared of what he would say. He would want her to tell him everything, but it still frightened her. What was she supposed to do? Or even say? _Hey, Justin, I love you. _No. That won't work…it was going to come out somehow, but it would have to be the right moment. But when was the right moment? So many questions! And Alex hated answering questions; she always loved to "beat around the bush." Maybe she would continue to use that tactic for the next couple of days.

Her thoughts were shattered as she heard a knock on the door, "Uhh...who is it?"

"It's me. Justin. May I come in?"

"Uhh…sure." Alex said casually, her heat racing as she heard the doorknob twist. Was this the right moment?

Justin smiled, "Hey." He sat next to her on her bed. He sighed and continued, "Gosh…I've missed this place."

"Yeah…it's different."

Justin continued, "Everything is so serious now- well at college. Everything really comes down to studying and of course, I love it, but sometimes I wish I could have a break. I don't mean "parties" or anything, but sometimes I wish_ magic _was more involved in my life again."

Alex played with her hands, "What do you mean? You still have your magic."

"I know, but I feel like it's so useless now."

Alex scoffed, "Hold up…the magnificent, future, family wizard thinks magic is _useless? _Justin, what happened? You love magic."

"I know…and I still do. It's just that I don't use it anymore…I kind of hope that I don't win the wizard competition. That's coming up as soon as Max finishes High School. But I don't feel like I'm ready anymore."

"You can't just forget magic, Justin."

Justin replied, "When we were kids, our lives were centered on magic. Most of the time, it had to do with you and me fixing your problems. I miss that…"

Alex thought the temperature in her room was rising- or was just that her? She stumbled, "Ye..Yeah, so do I. Justin, I'm really tired…and I'm sure you are too. Can we talk later?"

Justin was a bit surprised by Alex's tone of voice- she acted like she was hiding something. He inquired further, "Alex, is something wrong?"

"No..I'm just tired. "Alex quickly cut in. She stood up instantly.

Justin got off her bed and headed towards the door, "Uh…okay. Well, it's good to be home. See you tomorrow morning." Justin walked off towards his old bedroom, still unconvinced.

Alex immediately closed the door and sighed heavily. That was _close. _She thought he was going to start talking about something and somehow it would end up to her confessing. Alex thought it would be best to ignore him from now on.

And that's what happened. For the rest of the week, Alex tried to occupy herself as most as possible. She helped out her parents with the restaurant- thank goodness Justin couldn't help. Of course he wanted to, but her parents wouldn't let him- he was on "vacation." She went shopping a few times- more like driving around since she wasn't too much into buying lots of excessive accessories and clothing. She hung out with Harper whenever she was free from school, even if most of the time she was with Zeke. She did everything in her power to avoid Justin. Only at a couple breakfasts and dinners did she have to face him. She was able to avoid Justin, but there was just no way she could avoid the burning feelings she had for him.

Justin walked towards Alex's room and knocked. Hearing no response, he slowly opened her door and peeked inside. She wasn't there- she was _never _there. As he expected, she wasn't downstairs either. Why was she always gone? Didn't she want to spend some time with him? He found Max and asked, "Have you seen Alex?"

"Uhh…no, but I think she went out with Harper." Max replied while washing dishes.

Justin sighed and put his hands in his pockets, asking Max, "Is there something wrong with her, Max?"

"I don't believe so…why?" Max questioned.

Justin shrugged, "She's been acting weird lately."

"It's Alex. What do you expect?"

"No, I mean there's something wrong."

"What are you talking about?"

Justin explained, "I feel like she is purposely going out so that wouldn't have to stay home with me. Does she really hate me that much?"

Max turned off the trickling water and faced his older brother, "She doesn't hate you, Justin."

Justin replied, "But she's acting like it."

Max lowered his voice, "Justin, don't you dare tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

Justin turned his head to the side, "Go on…"

"When you left, I think Alex had the hardest time between us all." Max started.

Justin shook his head, "Yeah, right. Come on, Max, whenever I call, she sounds fine and Mom and Dad don't mention anything about her."

"Of course they don't- it's because they don't know."

"What?"

Max continued, "Sometimes I can't sleep at night and I go downstairs, which means I have to pass Alex's room. On countless nights, I've heard her crying. She doesn't get much sleep."

Justin was surprised by what he was hearing. He asked, "Does she still do it?"

"Occasionally…ever since you left, she's been distant. She acts normal, but at the same time…not really."

Justin weakly smiled, "So she misses me?"

"I guess…" Max shrugged and continued to wash the dishes.

Justin replied, "But then why is she avoiding me?"

"Well, that's where I'm confused too. Maybe Alex is just shocked by you coming home and since all this time you've been gone, she's gotten use to her your absence. It might take time for her to process that you're home."

"I'm leaving in three days, Max…" Justin stated.

Max nodded, "I know…but maybe you two can talk. I don't think she's hiding anything, Justin. I think you two just need to talk and spend time with each other, like the old times. You guys used to fight a lot, but you are really close anyways."

Justin was surprised at his younger brother's words. He never knew Max could be so "wise." He smiled, "Thanks, Max. You were really helpful this time."

Max acted appalled, "What do you mean 'this time'?" He laughed, but nodded, "Sure thing, Justin…anytime you need me, don't hesitate to ask. But one thing before you leave, can you pass me that tube of yellow stuff."

"Oh, you mean the soap?" Justin reached for the can of soap.

"No, the other jar."

Justin looked at the jar about a foot away from the soap…it was oil. "Max, that's oil."

"I know! Doesn't it work great on washing dishes?"

Justin rolled his eyes and left. Someone was going to have to redo the dishes later.

The next evening, Alex realized that Justin only had one more full days with them. He was leaving the next night. She couldn't decide if this was good or bad. It was good because she was able to ignore him the whole time, but it was so bad because once he left, she would continue to stay insane. She was about to leave the house to see a movie when lo and behold, Justin stopped her.

"Alex!"

"Uhh...yeah?"

"Out." Alex replied simply.

"To where?"

"Just out…what do you want?"

Justin suggested, "Can we go out?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Like out to dinner…just you and me. We can talk before I have to leave tomorrow." Justin said.

"Why?" Alex wanted to know.

"What do you mean 'why'? I want to take you out…you're my sister."

And that's exactly why she didn't want to go out with him. She was his sister and she didn't want to end up doing something stupid. "I don't know, Justin…"

Justin sighed, "Alex, please. I don't know why you've been avoiding me this whole week, but if we go out tonight, I won't ask about that. I just want to be able to talk with you before I leave. I miss seeing you around and you mean a lot to me. Please, just please go out with me."

Alex knew she couldn't keep this up any longer. One night wouldn't hurt, right? She gave in, "Fine…let's go."

Justin smiled with satisfaction, "Great. I'll grab a taxi."

The pair ended up going to one of their favorite Italian restaurants in New York City. Just as Justin promised, the two siblings just caught up on things. Justin talked about school and college life while Alex talked about her side job as a designer's assistant and the usual happenings with the family. Further into their conversation, Alex began warming up to him and realized how much it felt like the old times.

Justin mentioned, "I'm glad we were able to eat dinner and carry a nice conversation tonight- without you insulting me very minute or two."

Alex laughed, "Don't push it, bud."

Justin laughed as his eyes sparkled. He smiled, "It's good to be mature- for once."

_Mature. _There's that word again…honestly, Alex was far away from "mature." She couldn't even bring herself to tell Justin about what she thought of him.

Noticing she remained silent, Justin quickly asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Uhh…no…it's getting late though. Maybe we should start heading home."

"Alright." Justin paid for the meal, but on the way out, he accidentally bumped into an old lady, making her drop her purse with all her belongings spread out on the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Justin and Alex bent down to pick up the lady's belongings and handed the purse back to her.

"Why thank you, son."

Justin blushed with embarrassed, "Uhh, it's the least I can do. I'm so sorry for bumping into you- it was my entire fault. Would you like me to help you to your car?"

"Oh, no need for that, young man. You know what? You're an alright bunch of people." The old lady smiled.

Justin looked at Alex and mentioned, "Thanks."

They were about to walk off, but the old lady stopped them, "You two are quite the pair- very cute, I must say."

Justin looked puzzled, but he realized what she meant. "Ohhh…" Justin pointed at Alex and himself, "We're not together…we're just…"

The old lady chuckled slightly, "Don't be silly! Don't deny the love between you two."

Justin's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red as he became more uncomfortable, "Love? Oh…Miss, we really aren't together."

The old lady ignored them and continued, "You two remind me of me and my husband years ago. We were both really shy and didn't want many people to know we were together. Of course, that smoothed out as we grew older. He's gone now, but I'm glad we cherished every moment we got and showed the world how much we cared for each other."

Alex interrupted, "Uhh, he's right…we aren't…err...dating." It killed her to say that.

"Missy, stop denying it! You should see the way you two look at each other. It's like you couldn't be happier- I can tell you are so in love." The old lady observed, before continuing, "I tell you what- when you're in love, don't be afraid to let people know. Tell the whole world. But most importantly, if you love someone, don't be afraid to tell that person."

Justin and Alex remained awkwardly silence as the old lady finally began walking away. But she quickly turned around, "Oh…and when you tell someone you love them, don't forget to do it in a heartbeat." She smiled before finally walking out of the restaurant.

Justin and Alex soon followed. As they waited for a taxi, Justin finally broke the silence, "Well…that was awkward. Very odd, I must say." He laughed to himself for a bit, before realizing Alex was still quiet. "What's wrong?"

Alex wasn't prepared for this at all. She wasn't ready, but she couldn't stay quiet much longer. She needed to tell him _now. _"Justin, we need to talk…"

Justin uncomfortably replied, "Alex, what's going on? You're seriously scaring me again."

"Ever since you left, I've been dying to tell you something."

"What? What is it, Alex?" Justin asked.

Alex looked straight at him and admitted, "I love you."

Justin sighed, "Alex, you really had me scared for a moment…I thought something happened."

Alex shook her head, "No, Justin, _ I love you._" She emphasized the last three words.

Justin was taken aback by what she just said and felt utterly shocked, "Well, let's hope this doesn't last?" He chuckled.

Alex was getting a bit angry- he wasn't taking this seriously. "You don't understand, do you?"

"What?"

"I've been dying to reveal this to you for years now. I've almost gone insane and you think this is just going to wear off?" Alex raised her voice.

Justin finally realized she wasn't joking around. He quietly whispered, "How long?"

"For years now…" Alex said.

Justin shook his head, "N..no…this is _not _happening."

"Well, you better believe it." Alex shrugged.

Justin yelled, "You can't do this to me!"

"I can't help it, Justin! I hate it as much as you do! But you can't mess with love!" Alex exclaimed.

Justin shook his head, "No! There's no love…you might feel something, Alex, but it's probably just something really. You couldn't possibly be _in love _with me."

"But I am!"

"You can't be! I'm your _brother!_"

"And I'm in love with you! I don't care if we're siblings or not…I just care about us."

"This is disgusting, Alex! You're sick! You need some serious help…this whole week, I had a feeling you were hiding something from me. But I couldn't imagine it to be this bad!" Justin shouted.

"Justin, stop yelling…can't you see that I really love you?"

"I see it, Alex, but I don't feel the same. How could I? This is against so many rules!" Justin began backing away.

"Then break the rules, Justin! Tell me you haven't felt this way before…I know you have!"

Justin shook his head, "No…you just want to corrupt me…"

"No! I want you to tell me the truth!"

Justin glared straight at her and scoffed, "I couldn't love you in a million years, Alex. It's just not right…thank God I'm leaving tomorrow." He rushed off, leaving Alex all alone in the middle of the sidewalk.

Alex knew something like this would happen. He would realize how sick it all was and she would try to convince him that it was alright. She knew this would happen, but she was _not _prepared for the results. She didn't know it was going to feel this bad. She didn't know that her brother had the power to break her heart. It was worse than her going insane…she felt lost and stupid. Now that he knew, nothing was ever going to be the same. He would move on with his life, but how could she? How could she watch the one she loved the most slip through her fingers?

She hated that she fell in love with Justin. She hated that he was her brother. She hated the old lady for telling them that they loved each other. Who was she to tell them who they were? Who was she to play "God?" How could she turn this one night into feelings so unbearable?

A single tear escaped Alex's cold, dull eyes and landed ever so slowly on the heartless pavement below.

**Please review! It really makes me feel better to know that people are reading my story. **


	3. In a Heartbeat

**Here's the final chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! :) **

Last night was unforgettable. Justin couldn't gather his thoughts correctly and truly think about them. Everything seemed to be a blur and all he remembered was Alex's pleading face. He couldn't love her…it just wasn't possible. He was Justin Russo! He played by the rules.

Yet, somehow, he felt _guilt_ and _regret._

He was her brother- he was supposed to do everything in his power to protect, care, and comfort her. But this was different. He couldn't play by the rules and break them at the same time. He couldn't _love _her and feel good about it.

Justin finished packing and headed downstairs to make himself a cup of tea. He felt a bit disappointed as his whole family, besides Alex, was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Morning, Justin!" Max's expression lit up.

Justin felt worse as he looked at his family's bright faces, "Uhh…hi, guys."

Theresa walked towards him, "I can't believe you're going back already."

"I know, Mom…"

Jerry interrupted, "Let's not worry about that right now. We have one last full day to spend with you before you leave tonight. What do you want to do?"

Justin shrugged, "I don't know…we can just stay around here."

Max exclaimed, "Are you kidding? I woke up early so we could go somewhere…now we're just going to stay here! That's bunk!"

Justin rolled his eyes, "I can't believe you still use that phrase, Max."

Max sneered, "So?"

Jerry added, "Calm down, guys. Maybe Justin just wants to stay around here today…that's fine with me, but maybe we can out to dinner as a family tonight?"

Theresa nodded, "Okay, that sounds good. Let me tell Alex so she doesn't plan anything today."

Justin's head shot up as he heard her name. He immediately responded, "No!"

"Wait, what? Is there something wrong, Justin?" Theresa asked.

Justin calmed down, "Uhh no….I think she's tired- that's all. She might be getting sick too. I wouldn't bother her if I were you."

Theresa nodded, "Oh right…okay then."

Justin didn't know he could _lie _that good. Well, if he really needed to, then he could. For the rest of the day, everyone hung around the substation- running errands and such. Justin felt bad for not spending his last day with his family, but he had to get a grip of himself first. Evening finally arrived and they all went out to dinner without Alex, who was "sick." After dinner, it was time for him to leave. He gathered his suitcases and prepared for all the goodbyes.

After being the last one to hug him, Theresa yelled, "Alexandra Margarita Russo! Come down here right now! Your brother is…."

Justin shushed his mother, "Mom! It's okay…she doesn't need to come down."

"No, Justin, she needs to say goodbye."

Justin shook his head, "No, really…it's okay. I…uhh…already said goodbye earlier. She's pretty sick, I think. I don't want to bother her."

Theresa gave in, "Alright…"

Jerry commented, "Your taxi is here, Justin."

Everyone said goodbye once more before Justin hopped into the car, heading straight for the airport.

Alex had heard the door shut minutes ago. Justin was on his way to the airport, heck, he was probably past security now. She lay quietly in her bed and couldn't believe he was gone. It was Justin…he usually ended up coming to see if she was okay or something. But this time…_nothing._ Did he stop caring?

Well, she sure didn't care anymore. Maybe he was right…it wouldn't last. She would eventually get over it and move on…it might just take a long time. _A really long time. _

She headed downstairs to eat something, realizing the rest of her family left- probably went out shopping or something. It didn't bother her; she wanted to be alone.

Only not.

She heard knocking on the door of the substation and slowly walked over to open the door.

Surprise. He really needed to stop doing that…Justin stood facing opposite of her in the doorway.

"Justin? What are you doing here?"

"Alex…"

Alex shook her head, "Justin, you should be on your plane soon."

Justin sighed, "I couldn't get on it. I needed to see you."

Alex insisted, "Forget it, Justin…that was a mistake. I understand now…you really need to leave."

Justin continued anyways, "Alex, last night was really great. I had fun spending time with you, the greatest time in a long time. I didn't want to leave things unfinished. I just want to…."

Alex cut in, "Stop it, Justin…please just go. Go before you regret something you're about to do."

Justin quickly grabbed her arm and shut the door behind them, "No, Alex…I already regret something I did. I refuse to leave. We really need to talk."

"No, we don't. Enough's been said…"

Justin came in contact with Alex's glazed over eyes and continued, "Alex, I'm not mad at you."

"Well, you sure acted like it last night!" Alex furiously commented.

"And that's what I regret…I'm just shocked and disappointed. For God's sake, you're my sister."

Alex exclaimed, "I get it, Justin! Stop reminding me of that!"

Justin ignored her comment, "On the way to the airport, I finally pulled it together- I think. I went over everything that went down last night and it all came down to that old lady we met. I can't stop thinking about what she said and I think she's right."

Alex rolled her eyes, "I get it, Justin…you don't want to…wait. What did you say?"

"I think that old lady knew what she was talking about."

"What? Justin, you're getting me confused."

Justin took both of her hands in his and sincerely whispered, "When I look into your eyes, I feel like nothing else matters…"

Alex shoved his hands away, still furious about what was going on. "What does that have to do with that lady last night!"

"Because she gave me some great advice…" Justin moved closer to Alex, despite her looking away.

Alex sighed, "Justin…don't…"

He went on, "If you love someone, tell them." He moved dangerously closer to Alex and whispered huskily, "And that's what I'm trying to do right now."

Alex looked straight into his eyes, but was completely speechless. Justin took the opportunity to apologize, "I'm so sorry about last night, Alex, but I'm ready now."

Alex whispered, "Ready for what?"

Justin finished, "To tell you the truth, I think that old lady just changed both of our lives."

Alex persisted, "You didn't answer my question."

Justin smiled warmly as his eyes sparkled with compassion, "I'm ready to say that I'm so in love with you."

Alex eyes glistened with tears- she had been waiting for this moment since forever and she couldn't be happier. She weakly smiled back as she felt his pair of lips gently reach her forehead.

Justin whispered, "I'm so ready to say it- _in a heartbeat._"

**Well, I'm done with this quick one-shot! Thanks for reading it everyone and look out for my upcoming story! I'm really excited for my next story so I hope you all check it out soon! **


	4. Special Notice

**Hey! So I have a brand new story out and thought I'd alert all my readers through my previous stories. The new story is called **_**Meet Maxine **_**and it is focused around the upcoming WOWP episode. Check out the summary and give it a try! **

**-eurekawriter**


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